title: Overexpression of IQGAP1 in human pancreatic cancer.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Pancreatic cancer is a highly aggressive malignant tumor with the lowest survival rate. A better understanding of the molecular mechanisms which contribute to pancreatic cancer occurrence and progression will aid in the development of new approaches to the early diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of this deadly disease. The scaffold protein IQGAP1 shows elevated levels in a variety of cancer types. Currently, we investigated whether or not IQGAP1 is also overexpressed in pancreatic cancer.
  
  
  METHODS
  IQGAP1 expression was examined in pancreatic cancer and normal tissues adjacent to cancerous tissues (adjacent tissues) by Western blotting and real-time RT-PCR as well as in paraffin sections of tissue microarray by immunohistochemistry. The correlations between IQGAP1 expression and various clinicopathological characteristics were analyzed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Western blotting and real-time RT-PCR revealed that the levels of IQGAP1 protein and mRNA expression in pancreatic cancer tissues were significantly increased compared with adjacent tissues. Immunohistochemistry analysis on tissue microarray showed that IQGAP1 protein expression was significantly higher in pancreatic cancer (80.0%, 48/60) compared with adjacent tissues (18.3%, 11/60) (P<0.001). Moreover, overexpression of IQGAP1 was shown to be associated with the grades of tumor differentiation (P<0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The overexpression of IQGAP1 may play an important role in pancreatic cancer occurrence and progression, and IQGAP1 may serve as a novel molecular target for the diagnosis and treatment of pancreatic cancer.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan 030001, China. wxiaoxia99007@yahoo.com.cn.
authors.forename: Xiao-Xia
authors.initials: XX
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Xiao-Zhong
authors.initials: XZ
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Li-Qin
authors.initials: LQ
authors.lastname: Zhai
authors.forename: Zhi-Rong
authors.initials: ZR
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Xian-Jiu
authors.initials: XJ
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Yi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Pei
mesh_terms: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000032:analysis* / Q000235:genetics; D015153:Blotting, Western; D021441:Carcinoma, Pancreatic Ductal / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D018450:Disease Progression; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D060787:Neoplasm Grading; D010190:Pancreatic Neoplasms / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000032:analysis; D060888:Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction; D046888:Tissue Array Analysis; D015854:Up-Regulation; D020703:ras GTPase-Activating Proteins / Q000032:analysis* / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; C101203:IQ motif containing GTPase activating protein 1; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D020703:ras GTPase-Activating Proteins